The quiet corner it is probably the most overlooked part of the state. Let’s face it what is there to do up there? Well, the answer is plenty you just have to know where to go. I will be honest I didn’t know what to expect when I set off on this drive but by the end of it, I started wondering why I haven’t come up here more often. It’s a go place to go to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Peak foliage times are estimated to be between September 30th and October 23rd.
The drive was roughly 100 miles and took me seven to eight hours to complete. I went closer to the beginning of October and the foliage season seemed to be late this year so it was just starting to turn on my voyage.
- Begin on I-84 exit 67.
- Go south on Route 31 to the junction of Route 44.
- Take Route 44 east to Route 195 south.
- Turn south on Route 195 to Route 6 east and turn towards Brooklyn.
- Pick up Route 169 north to North Woodstock
- Then head west on Routes 197 and 190
- Take 190 west till you get to I-84 take that to exit 73.
- Turn west to close the loop.
Points of Interest:
There were many places to check out. I did a lot of research before coming up this way because I didn’t know what to look out for. I ended up ditching my list because it was such a beautiful drive and I stopped where interest struck.
In the beginning of the drive I came across an awesome little farm/country store called Muldoon it offered jams, jellies, fresh produce, plants, pumpkins and all sorts of other goodies and it’s worth checking out.
My second stop was for lunch and I stopped at the Vanilla Bean Cafe in Pomfret. This place was cozy and I could spend hours here. I had a chicken quesadilla and it was delicious. They also had a bakery on the premises and everything looked to die for. I held out getting anything else because I still had a lot of the trip to do and didn’t know what I’d find at other stops. (TIP: look up their event schedule online because I can see it being a great place to hang out.)
I stopped by the town of Putumn which was an adorable little town. If you love antiquing this is one of your meccas. There is a place called Antiques Marketplace and its 4 stories high filled with antiques. You’ll also find other little antique shops that cover the main street. I stopped in a place called Victoria Station located at 91 Main St. and the bakery items OMG they looked fantastic. I got two Halloween themed cupcakes to go. (When I reluctantly split them with my mom, later on, we both said they were fantastic.) This place has plenty of indoor seating and outdoor as well. They had so many other restaurants in such close quarters; that I am going to make it a point to go back there and try some more. Then I was on my way to Woodstock. (see more under photos)
After going though Putumn I headed towards Woodstock. What a beautiful drive along the way. Route 169 is the longest scenic road in Connecticut and it is very easy to see why. I made it to Woodstock and I stopped at a place called Woodstock Orchards. It was an adorable little farm stand that had everything you could imagine. They too had a wonderful bakery section where you could see everything being made fresh in front of you. You could also see them sorting apples and making cider it was such a cute and wonderful little place. They also had a pick your own pumpkin patch although it was a little on the pricey side. I have seen much cheaper at other places. The apples, however, I couldn’t help but buy a 1/2 peck of Honeycrisp to make apple crisp at home. This place is definitely worth a stop.
The rest of the drive was great and I found an old historical cemetery on the way and I stopped to look at the old untouched stones some dating back as far as 1727. You could find the cemetery in Eastford. This is a trip I will happily do year after year. There were so many places to stop along the way that you’ll never get bored doing the same route. I highly suggest this ride.
localtouristy.com 